THE STAR CLUSTER POPULATION OF THE COLLISIONAL RING GALAXY NGC 922
- George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, 4242 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843 (United States)
- Physics and Astronomy Department, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
- Department of Astrophysics and Optics, School of Physics, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052 (Australia)
- Vassar College, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Box 745, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604 (United States)
- Astronomy Department, Yale University, P.O. Box 208101, New Haven, CT 06520-8101 (United States)
We present a detailed study of the star cluster population detected in the galaxy NGC 922, one of the closest collisional ring galaxies known to date, using Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 UBVI photometry, population synthesis models, and N-body/smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations. We find that 69% of the clusters are younger than 7 Myr, and that most of them are located in the ring or along the bar, consistent with the strong H{alpha} emission. The cluster luminosity function slope of 2.1-2.3 for NGC 922 is in agreement with those of young clusters in nearby galaxies. Models of the cluster age distribution match the observations best when cluster disruption is considered. We also find clusters with ages (>50 Myr) and masses (>10{sup 5} M {sub sun}) that are excellent progenitors for faint fuzzy clusters. The images also show a tidal plume pointing toward the companion. Its stellar age from our analysis is consistent with pre-existing stars that were stripped off during the passage of the companion. Finally, a comparison of the star-forming complexes observed in NGC 922 with those of a distant ring galaxy from the GOODS field indicates very similar masses and sizes, suggesting similar origins.
- OSTI ID:
- 21301225
- Journal Information:
- Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online), Vol. 139, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-6256/139/4/1369; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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